What Is A Daily Report In Construction?
Also known as a field report, a daily report in construction summarizes all of the activity on a construction site on a particular day. This includes manpower, hours worked, the work performed, weather, equipment and materials used, visitors, deliveries, subcontractor activity and a summary of what happened that day.
Over time, every project will have dozens, hundreds or even THOUSANDS of daily field reports. The books of daily reports will contain all of the pertinent information for any/all activities on the job site.
Why Is A Daily Field Report Important In Construction?
Daily field reports contain several pieces of vital information that ‘tell the story’ of what happens on the project. Here are just a few reasons why daily field reports are so important in construction:
- Daily reports list every worker who was onsite, how many hours they worked and what they were doing. This relates to: productivity, payroll and even future lawsuits or insurance claims.
- Reports list who visited the project site, including inspectors, Owner’s Representatives, management and vendors.
- Daily reports track the attendance and activities of subcontractors. Reports help support what a subcontractor was or was not doing onsite in relation to delays, activity and future insurance claims.
- If unknowns arise or unexpected delays occur, the field report supports change orders and provides management with on-the-ground information.
- Notes related to weather will support delays, justify schedule adjustments and again, support or dispute future lawsuits or insurance claims.
Tips On What To Include In A Daily Field Report
A daily field report in construction MUST include essential items such as: the project name, project foreman/supervisor, date, weather, worker names/hours and the work that was completed. These are the basics!
In terms of more specific tips and strategies, there are a few things to include on a daily field report that you may not have considered. Let’s get into them!
Daily Report Tip #1: List Quantities Of Work Performed
There are so many types of construction projects out there, along with dozens of trades and work. One thing typically doesn’t change, though: the need for productivity (and profitability!).
The best way to track productivity is to track what was done based on a unit of measurement (U/M). This is best done in alignment with the project estimate and how each item in the scope of work is broken down.
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For example, a company demolishing concrete bridges should track how many cubic yards, square feet, etc. were demolished that day.
An electrician may be wiring electric conduit throughout a building. Noting the linear footage of conduit installed will let anyone reviewing it be able to tell if productivity goals are being met – again, based on how the project was estimated.
Daily Report Tip #2: Identify Manufacturers, Models & ID Numbers
As they say, the devil is in the details.
Construction management is a detail-heavy industry. There is a large emphasis on compliance with project requirements. However, there is also the need to have information well-documented for reasons that are unknown at the time.
Daily reports in construction should note some specific information related to equipment, tools or materials:
Noting the manufacturer and model of materials being used can connect the dots to the project requirement, and support quality control efforts.
As for tools, noting the specifics makes inventory and performing the work a lot easier.
Equipment ID numbers, particularly rentals, are useful for reconciling invoices from rental copies, and also provide more specific information in the event of reconciling records for change orders. This includes any vendor’s equipment ID numbers, such as a concrete mix truck or a crane.
Daily Report Tip #3: Make Note Of Tardiness, Terminations & Disputes
In construction, getting the work done comes with plenty of headaches. Some of the biggest headaches of all – both in terms of time and money – are issues between people. These issues range from minor, such as a worker showing up late, all the way up to lawsuits. If you know anything about reprimanding, terminating or having disputes, it all comes down to two things: money and documentation.
Putting money aside, here are a few examples of daily reports in construction being used for these purposes:
Workers who are terminated may not agree with the reasons for being terminated, and may contest your company in a ‘wrongful termination’ suit. Daily field reports that show the employee being consistently late (or in violation of any other rules/regulations) help support the reasons for the termination.
Similarly, disputes between two parties onsite should also be noted. If two workers have an interpersonal conflict, it should be recorded as backup records for later, along with whatever actions are taken, such as being sent home for the day or formally written up.
Daily Report Tip #4: Record Unknowns & Unexpected Delays
It goes without saying that legitimate change orders are supported by backup documents. In terms of claiming change orders for delays or changes to scope, what better to support them than a daily breakdown written by the people who were onsite?
Referring to tip #3 above, this is a great example of why equipment/tool/material information is also critical – it supports daily activity that can become part of a change order at some point.
Information related to the delay/addition to scope should include the names of who were involved, what they were doing, how much time they spent on it and any other pertinent information.
Whether the client pays for the change order on a time-and-material basis or in one lump sum, recording as much information on the daily report as possible is crucial for maximum accuracy.
Daily Report Tip #5: Take Pictures!
We saved the best for last. This tip is particularly useful for field crews that use construction management software (or an ERP). Taking photos of any unknowns, changes to scope, the crews working or just the general job site, pictures will provide a HUGE amount of detail to support the daily report.
An ERP software will allow a foreman or supervisor to enter daily reports via a tablet or laptop, as well as to upload pictures into the report.
If the daily reports are written by hand, pictures are still vital. Using a smartphone to take pictures of what happens each day is fantastic backup to have – dates of the files easily correlate to dates on the ticket.
In the event of something major taking place – a milestone task, end of a phase, complex work, use of giant machinery or anything else of significance, taking video is even better.
Photos and videos become useful in a number of ways. They support change orders, prove compliance with safety, design and performance requirements, and can be used in court, as well.
In Conclusion
We’ve illustrated five ways that daily reports in construction are crucial to the success of any project. Make sure to employ these essential tactics to save time, money and maybe even the company!
